Mayweather Promotions’ CEO Brands a Fan “Stupid” for Downplaying $50 Million Achievement of Abdul Wahid, Formerly Gervonta Davis: “He Made More Than the Entire Division Combined”

It is undeniable that Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid, is one of the best fighters in the light-weight division. Apart from his sterling undefeated record, and the WBA regular title that he holds, the money that he earns justifies such claims. However, a fan tried to underplay the purse he earns in a simmering thread of X posts. In response, came Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe. 

Last year, having fought twice, ‘Tank’ Davis spotted himself in the highest 5 earners of boxing. His coveted fight against Ryan Garcia got him an impressive $5 million base payout. While the purse split was higher than most of his contemporaries, he also took an additional 50% of PPV revenues that touched a sterling mark of $50 million. Despite such boastful earnings, a certain sect, especially his critics, fail to acknowledge his prominence in the sport. But for every such person who attempts this blatant erasure of Tank’s success, Ellerbe has a stern response up his sleeves.

Gervonta Davis leads the lightweight divisions

On X, a user undermined Tank’s earnings by placing him in the shadows of Anthony Joshua and Canelo Álvarez. The user argued that Tank earns about $30- 40 million, while the other two, the leading earners in the sport, earn about $50 million purse per fight. The user wrote, “becuase he made 30-40 mill off of the backend money and ppv. only guys in boxing who get 50mill purses are canelo and aj.” In response came a wise Ellerbe who highlighted how unfair it was to underplay Tank’s earnings. While hitting back, he wrote, “I love how idiots like yourself just throw life changing numbers around like “he only made 30-40 million it’s not like he made 50 million.”

As per reports, AJ earned a collective $30 million last year from all three fights he undertook. Canelo, on the other hand, was the highest-paid fighter, with a purse of $15 million, and an additional PPV sales cut of $40 million for his John Ryder fight. His second bout for the year, against Jermell Charlo, got him an impressive $50 million in total earnings. While AJ and Canelo lead the heavyweight and middleweight division respectively, Davis does the same for the lightweight divisions. And that is where Ellerbe’s argument stems from.

A Lucrative Future for Tank

It all started when Ray Jackon, a regular defender of Tank on the internet shaded the likes of Devin Haney and Regis Prograis for not making as much as Davis does in his fights. He argued that there was no point in Tank fighting Haney, as Haney is someone who nets an average of $2-3 million per fight, compared to Davis’ $30 million guaranteed payout.

In response, came another user who demanded to know who would give the Baltimore-native such massive paydays. Jackson replied, “He gonna make 15-20M fighting Frank Martin. 200k buys = 17M plus over a 5 million gate.” Another fan, impressed by the numbers, further shaded Tank’s contemporaries. They wrote, “Like anybody else at 135-140 making 8 figures every time they fight. Tank doubles what all of them make each fight.”

While these were just conjectures by fans, a confirmation was communicated by Ellerbe, whose company Mayweather Promotions promoted Davis for a while until he became independent. The CEO wrote, “You spot on, he been making 8 figs for quite a while now, in his two fights last year he made more than the entire division combined in their entire career.”

Also Read: Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, Terence Crawford, and Other Boxers With the Highest Fight Purse Earnings in 2023

The numbers hint at Gervonta Davis leading the front here. He is indeed one of the highest-paid fighters not just in his division but in the sport. Do you think the numbers match his prowess? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch this story: All About Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis